Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) today announced a slew of developments from its diabetes treatment arm, including FDA clearance of its MiniMed Connect diabetes monitoring system; a partnership with Samsung Electronics (LON:BC94) to develop technology for diabetes management; and an agreement with diabetes-monitoring platform developer Glooko. The announcements were made at the American Diabetes Assn.’s annual meeting in Boston.
The Fridley, Minn.-based medical device giant said it won 510(k) clearance from the FDA for its MiniMed Connect diabetes monitoring system. The system, slated for a fall release, consists of a small portable device, a smartphone app and a mobile or PC-based web display to track and view insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor data, the company said.
MiniMed Connect also allows remote monitoring, alarms if errors occur and text-based notifications for family or caretakers when glucose levels are too high or low, Medtronic said. The data is also collected for healthcare workers, who can use the it to adjust treatment plans for patients, the company added.
“Engagement from people with diabetes, loved ones and healthcare providers is key to living well with diabetes. With MiniMed Connect, the entire care team can have access to critical diabetes data to inform the decisions that help people have better outcomes. MiniMed Connect is another step in our broader strategy to be a holistic diabetes management company. The Connect platform represents how we will use leadership technologies, data and informatics to enable better therapy decision making and care for people with diabetes. Our hope is that this will make it easier for more people to manage their disease and optimize their therapy so they can achieve greater freedom and better health,” vice president of diabetes services and solutions Annette Brüls said in a prepared statement.
While the web-based remote monitoring will be available on any Internet-enabled device, the smartphone app will only be available initially on Apple (NSDQ:AAPL) iOS devices, Medtronic said.
Samsung will help Medtronic develop an app for Google (NSDQ:GOOG) Android devices that will be compatible with its MiniMed Connect as the first project of a new partnership with the Korean electronics maker.
The deal is slated to focus on developing a range of products for people with diabetes, from remote viewing of data to fully integrated mobile and wearable devices that operate with diabetes management systems, Medtronic said.
“By addressing more of the social and emotional aspects of living with diabetes and improving lifestyle fit, we believe that more people worldwide will be able to experience better diabetes control that today’s advanced therapies provide. Medtronic aims to transform diabetes by providing world-class integrated care, enabled by leading technologies, big data, and informatics. Our partnership with Samsung is a key step in providing convenient and discreet access to diabetes data, so together we can provide people with diabetes greater freedom and better health,” vice president and general manager of intensive insulin management Alejandro Galindo said in prepared remarks.
“Samsung is committed to applying its deep understanding of how people use technology to bring new innovations to healthcare. Patients are seeking better ways not only to monitor their condition, but also to enjoy a greater quality of life. We are excited to partner with Medtronic to develop diabetes management solutions that produce positive change and greater autonomy for people living with diabetes,” added Samsung Electronics America CMO Dr. David Rhew.
Medtronic also said it penned an agreement with Glooko to allow its cloud-based mobile diabetes management platform to incorporate information from Medtronic’s insulin pumps and CGMs. Other health data, such as food, medication, fitness and biometric data will be able to be incorporated through Medtronic’s CareLink platform, the company added. Glooko’s platform is designed to integrate data from more than 30 blood glucose monitors and other wearable and biometric devices with either an Apple iPhone or Google Android device. The company said yesterday that it has added Dexcom Inc. (NSDQ:DXCM) and Insulet (NSDQ:PODD) devices to its system, as well.
“Our goal is to provide people with diabetes, their care teams and healthcare providers with actionable insights that improve decision-making to optimize care. By partnering with the Glooko diabetes management platform, we can provide safe and secure access to meaningful diabetes information to our customers that goes beyond just device data,” Brüls said in prepared remarks. “Combining the additional data collected by Glooko with our CareLink data will enable further insights into how various health and fitness activities affect insulin therapy. The Glooko partnership is part of our overall strategy to move towards a holistic diabetes management company and use our leading technologies, data and informatics to enable better therapy decision making and care for people with diabetes, to enable greater freedom and better health.”
“Medtronic customers and their healthcare teams can leverage the Glooko unified platform to improve outcomes and reduce costs by leveraging mobile and cloud based technology to better understand and act on insights to improve their care plan and lifestyle. Working together we will bring information from Medtronic insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors, along with food, medication, fitness and biometric data, to offer a unified view and actionable insights to patients and their care teams,” added Glooko CEO Rick Altinger.
In March, Glooko closed a $16.5 million Series B round that included Medtronic, as well as Canaan Partners and existing backers The Social + Capital Partnership and Samsung.
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